Barca alumnus Lee shows promise in South Korea’s win

SEOUL: Son Heung-min’s longrange blast set South Korea on their way to a 2-0 win over Honduras in a World Cup warm-up on Monday but it was the performance of impish forward Lee Seung-woo on his senior national team debut that really caught the eye.

The 20-year-old has been viewed as Korea’s most promising player for years having come through Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy and while he signed for Italy’s Hellas Verona last August, Barca reportedly have a buy-back option.

His inclusion in Shin Taeyong’s preliminary squad for Russia raised some eyebrows, given that he had yet to win his first full cap, and there was more surprise on Monday when he was given a start against the Central Americans in Daegu.

Lee got off to a rough start, failing to link up with his team mates and trying too hard to impress, but after getting to grips with the pace of the game, it quickly became evident why so much is expected of him.

Driving at defenders with pace, carving out chances with incisive passing and harrying opponents out of possession, Lee managed to draw some of the focus off skipper Son and showed that despite standing a modest 5ft-7in (1.7m) tall, he would not be intimidated by hulking Honduran defenders.

THE 20YEAROLD HAS BEEN VIEWED AS KOREA’S MOST PROMISING PLAYER FOR YEARS HAVING COME THROUGH LA MASIA ACADEMY AND WHILE HE SIGNED FOR HELLAS VERONA LAST AUGUST